Princeton, Rider, Monmouth and Manhattan in 3 Days: A New Jersey and Bronx College Trip
A parent-first plan for seeing Princeton University, Rider University, Monmouth University and Manhattan University in three days: how each tour works, where to park, four hotels from budget to upscale, drive times from Princeton to the Jersey Shore and the Bronx, sibling stops and seasonal weather, every fact sourced and checked Oct 29, 2026.
Nassau Hall from Cannon Green, Princeton University (Mar 2019). Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
The short version
Trip at a glance
Schools
Princeton University (Princeton, NJ) · Rider University (Lawrenceville, NJ) · Monmouth University (West Long Branch, NJ) · Manhattan University (Riverdale, Bronx, NY)
Days
3 days: Princeton and Rider on day 1 (about 15 minutes apart), Monmouth on day 2, then Manhattan University on day 3.
Fly into
Newark Liberty International (EWR), about an hour from Princeton with no traffic. Fly home from LaGuardia (LGA), about 24 minutes from Manhattan University.
Best base
Nassau Inn on Palmer Square for two nights, about a 6-minute walk from Princeton's Admission Information Center, then Courtyard Yonkers for the last night, about 14 minutes from Manhattan University.
Car or transit
Rent a car: Monmouth is about an hour east of Princeton and the Bronx is about an hour and a half north of Monmouth with no traffic.
Registration
Book each campus visit on the school's own registration page. Princeton says registration is required and space is limited.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents with a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, who want to compare four very different campuses in one trip: Princeton's 600-acre Ivy League campus, Rider's suburban campus five miles south of Princeton, Monmouth's historic campus near the Jersey Shore and Manhattan University in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.
Princeton shares parking details after you register, Rider has a signed Admissions and Special Event lot, Monmouth's visitor parking is Lot 11 past the Great Hall, and Manhattan's security officers at the main gate direct visitors to the visitor lot.
Why this order
Day 1: Princeton's weekday program pairs an admission information session with a student-led tour; on weekends it's a tour only. Rider's tour is about an hour with a student guide and includes a residence hall and the dining hall.
Day 2: Monmouth runs an in-person 90-minute campus tour through the week and on most weekends, and its on-campus information sessions are followed by a walking tour with student ambassadors.
Day 3: Manhattan University offers daily undergraduate campus visits, and admissions can also help you sit in on a class or meet with a Financial Aid representative.
Plan ahead: registration and timing
Princeton: registration is required and space is limited, and full details arrive by email after you register. The weekday program runs about two hours; the weekend tour about one hour.
Princeton says it does not track demonstrated interest, and you can walk the campus without registering, though visitors can't enter buildings.
Rider gives students an application fee waiver for attending a campus tour, and Monmouth offers an application fee waiver to students who visit through its Admission Office.
Rider's Bronc Visit Award is a $1,000 annually renewable grant for eligible visitors; check Rider's first-year visit page for who qualifies.
Tour availability varies by season.
Manhattan University holds school-specific visit days on set dates in the fall; check its Visit page for the current list.
Groups: Princeton accepts group tour requests from schools and organizations with 10 or more students in grades 9–12, and Rider and Manhattan also have group tour options.
2. The suggested 3-day drive
Drive times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, and walking times use OpenStreetMap foot routing, with addresses geocoded by OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Princeton times are to the Admission Information Center at 36 University Place, Rider times are to P.J. Ciambelli Hall, and Monmouth and Manhattan times are to each school's street address. Expect real traffic around New York City to add time.
Arrival: fly into Newark and check in at Princeton
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) → Nassau Inn (10 Palmer Square East)
Driving (no traffic)
~61 min, 40.8 mi
Driving and walking
Rental car
Princeton calls Newark Liberty its closest international airport. Without a car, trains from Newark airport stop at Princeton Junction, where NJ TRANSIT's five-minute "Dinky" or the free #4 Tiger Transit bus takes you to campus, but you'll want a car for the rest of this trip.
The Hampton Inn Princeton is about 52 minutes from EWR and the Hyatt Regency Princeton about 58 minutes with no traffic.
Day 1: Princeton University, then Rider University and Morven
Nassau Inn → Princeton Admission Information Center (36 University Place)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 min, 0.4 mi
Driving and walking
~6 min walk, 0.3 mi
Princeton Admission Information Center → Rider University (P.J. Ciambelli Hall, 2083 Lawrenceville Rd.)
Driving (no traffic)
~15 min, 6.9 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Nassau Inn → Morven Museum & Garden (55 Stockton St.)
Driving (no traffic)
Walk
Driving and walking
~10 min walk, 0.5 mi
Princeton's Admission Information Center is next to the University Store. Parking information comes with your registration email.
Rider's visitor lot is across from the Bart Luedeke Center, through the entrance with a gate arm; visitors should register with Public Safety for a temporary parking pass.
Day 2: Monmouth University and the beach, then on to Yonkers
Nassau Inn → Monmouth University (400 Cedar Ave., West Long Branch)
Driving (no traffic)
~63 min, 39.8 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Monmouth University → Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park (221 Ocean Ave., Long Branch)
Driving (no traffic)
~8 min, 3.6 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Monmouth University → Courtyard Yonkers (5 Executive Blvd., Yonkers)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 42 min, 71.2 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Monmouth's directions: take Garden State Parkway exit 105 to Route 36 East, then Route 71/Cedar Avenue; turn right at the wrought iron gates and go up the main driveway. Visitor parking (Lot 11) is on the left, slightly past the Great Hall.
Monmouth says its campus is within walking distance of the Atlantic Ocean beaches and about an hour from New York City.
Day 3: Manhattan University and Wave Hill, then fly home
Courtyard Yonkers → Manhattan University (4513 Manhattan College Pkwy., Bronx)
Driving (no traffic)
~14 min, 7.6 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Manhattan University → Wave Hill (4900 Independence Ave., Bronx)
Driving (no traffic)
~4 min, 1.5 mi
Driving and walking
~23 min walk, 1.1 mi
Manhattan University → LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Driving (no traffic)
~24 min, 12.4 mi
Driving and walking
Drive
Enter at the main campus gate on Manhattan College Parkway and tell the security officer you're visiting; the officer will direct you to the visitor lot. Manhattan says parking is typically available for admissions visits.
Flying from Newark instead? Manhattan University is about 42 minutes from EWR with no traffic.
3. Campus by campus
Nassau Hall from Cannon Green, Princeton University (Mar 2019). Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Programs start at the Admission Information Center, 36 University Place, next to the University Store.
Weekdays: an admission information session plus a student-led tour, about two hours in all. Weekends: a student-led tour of about one hour. Princeton also offers a student-led historic tour and a self-guided smartphone tour (text Princeton to 58052).
Visitor parking
Princeton provides parking information when you register for a program.
Getting there
The Admission Information Center is about a 6-minute walk from the Nassau Inn, about 6 minutes by car from the Hyatt Regency and about 9 minutes from the Hampton Inn with no traffic.
By train, ride to Princeton Junction, then take the "Dinky" to Princeton Station on Alexander Street or the free #4 Tiger Transit bus to the Admission Information Center.
What to know
You can explore the campus without registering, but visitors can't go inside buildings.
Contact
Questions about student life? Princeton's "Ask a Tiger" program answers by email at askatiger@princeton.edu.
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
The tour is about a one-hour walk with a current student guide and stops at a residence hall and the dining hall.
Students who attend a campus tour get an application fee waiver.
Visitor parking
Visitor parking is in the Admissions and Special Event Parking Lot across from the Bart Luedeke Center, through the entrance with a gate arm. Register with Public Safety for a free temporary pass; extra visitor parking is in the open lots.
Getting there
Rider is five miles south of Princeton on U.S. Route 206, a quarter mile south of I-295 exit 69-B, and about 15 minutes by car from Princeton's Admission Information Center with no traffic.
What to know
Ask about the $1,000-a-year Bronc Visit Award when you register; Rider's first-year visit page lists who qualifies.
Contact
Rider Admissions (P.J. Ciambelli Hall): admissions@rider.edu or 800-257-9026.
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Choose an in-person 90-minute campus tour or an on-campus information session followed by a walking tour with student ambassadors.
Monmouth offers an application fee waiver to students who visit campus through the Admission Office.
Visitor parking
Visitor parking (Lot 11) is on the left, slightly past the Great Hall, after you turn in at the wrought iron gates on Cedar Avenue.
One-day visitor permits are available at Police Headquarters, the Greeter's Booth off Cedar Avenue and from the traffic attendant off Larchwood Avenue.
Getting there
Monmouth is about 63 minutes by car from the Nassau Inn with no traffic. By rail, NJ TRANSIT's North Jersey Coast Line runs to Long Branch station, about 1.5 miles from campus by taxi.
What to know
Monmouth's campus is within walking distance of the Atlantic Ocean beaches, so plan a short stop at the shore after your tour.
Contact
Monmouth Admission: admission@monmouth.edu or (732) 571-3456.
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
Manhattan University offers daily undergraduate campus visits that include a campus tour.
When you register, admissions can also arrange for your student to attend a class, meet with Financial Aid or get questions about Residence Life answered.
Visitor parking
Drive to the main entrance on Manhattan College Parkway and tell the security officer you're visiting; you'll be directed to the visitor lot. Parking is typically available for admissions visits.
Getting there
By subway, take the 1 train to Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street (the last stop) and walk up W. 242nd Street; Metro-North also serves the area. By car, the campus is about 14 minutes from Courtyard Yonkers and about 24 minutes from LGA with no traffic.
What to know
Ask about the Jasper Guarantee, which locks undergraduate tuition for eight semesters.
Contact
Manhattan University Admissions: 718-862-7200.
Last checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
4. Where to stay: two nights in Princeton, one night in Yonkers
Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Hotel · Our pickMid-range
Nassau Inn
10 Palmer Square East, Princeton, NJ 08542
Why here
On Palmer Square, about a 6-minute walk from Princeton's Admission Information Center and a 10-minute walk from Morven; Rider is about 16 minutes away by car with no traffic.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3.5-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
Expedia lists no on-site parking (off-site parking only) and an on-site restaurant, the Yankee Doodle Tap Room. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
For the night before Manhattan University: about 14 minutes by car from campus and about 34 minutes from LGA with no traffic. It's one of the hotels on Manhattan University's local accommodations list.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
Expedia lists free self-parking and an on-site bistro. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Stay two nights in Princeton so day 1 starts with a short walk to the Admission Information Center, then move to Yonkers after Monmouth so day 3 starts about 14 minutes from Manhattan University. Driving your own car to Princeton? The Hyatt and Hampton Inn list free parking; the Nassau Inn lists off-site parking only.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
Palmer Square, Princeton
The Nassau Inn has its own restaurant, the Yankee Doodle Tap Room, per its Expedia listing, and it's steps from the Admission Information Center.
Route 1 and Yonkers
The Hampton Inn includes breakfast, and the Courtyard Yonkers has an on-site bistro, per their Expedia listings, which helps on early tour mornings.
6. Things for siblings along the route
With siblings
Morven Museum & Garden
55 Stockton St., Princeton, NJ 08540
About a 10-minute walk from the Nassau Inn. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday, the garden is open daily from dawn to dusk, and there's free on-site visitor parking.
About 8 minutes by car from Monmouth. This 38-acre county beach park is a swimming and surfing spot in summer and a quiet place for walks the rest of the year, and it has an accessible playground and a skate park.
Princeton sends parking details after you register; at Rider, register with Public Safety for a free temporary pass in the visitor lot across from the Bart Luedeke Center.
At Monmouth, use visitor Lot 11 past the Great Hall; at Manhattan, check in with security at the main gate on Manhattan College Parkway.
Flying in and out
EWR is about an hour from Princeton with no traffic, and LGA is about 24 minutes from Manhattan University, so an open-jaw ticket (into EWR, home from LGA) saves backtracking.
Rider notes that Trenton-Mercer Airport is five miles from campus.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Trenton Mercer County Airport)
Spring: April averages about 63°F highs and 42°F lows, with about 3.6 inches of rain.
Summer: July averages about 86°F/67°F, with about 4.4 inches of rain.
Fall: October averages about 66°F/46°F, with about 3.8 inches of rain.
Winter: January averages about 40°F/24°F, with about 3.3 inches of precipitation and about 8 inches of snow.
Parent checklist
Register for a Princeton campus program and watch your email for parking details.
Book a Rider campus tour and plan to get a temporary parking pass from Public Safety.
Register for a Monmouth tour or information session, and ask about the application fee waiver.
Book a Manhattan University campus tour, and ask about sitting in on a class.
Book flights into EWR and home from LGA, plus a rental car.
Book two nights in Princeton and one night in Yonkers.
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
4 Division I
Athletics
Princeton University
NCAA Division I The Ivy League
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (Princeton University, Rider University, Monmouth University and Manhattan University): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 29, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
Expedia listing: Nassau Inn (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Princeton-Hotels-Nassau-Inn.h10583.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Hyatt Regency Princeton (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Princeton-Hotels-Hyatt-Regency-Princeton.h18381.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Hampton Inn Princeton (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Princeton-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-Princeton.h1145616.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Courtyard by Marriott Yonkers Westchester County (star class and amenities, checked 2026-10-29) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/White-Plains-Hotels-Courtyard-By-Marriott-Yonkers-Westchester-County.h17957993.Hotel-Information)
